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9 Steps to Take to Protect Your Identity Online

Everyday we turn on the TV, radio or computers and hear
about companies like Marriott or Dunkin' Donuts that came out with the news they have been
breached. Unfortunately for many users, this could mean potential issues with
their credit and good name, company security or other potential financial
issues.

How do you avoid being a victim when a company you have no
control over gets breached or hacked? The following are steps you should take and consider to
minimize the impact to your credit and good name, should another breach take
place.

The question is not about whether or not another breach will
occur, it will happen. The real question is what did you do to protect yourself
when the next breach is reported.

Step One: Patches

Always make sure that your computer is patched and up to
date with the most currently available operating system and application
software. This one step alone reduces the risks from your system being
vulnerable to getting malicious software installed on it which could capture
your keyboard strokes to be used to gain access to all of your local and online
accounts.

Step Two: Antivirus and Anti-Malware

Make sure that you have an updated antivirus application and
anti-malware as well. It is very important to keep these programs as up to date
as possible. These two programs monitor the files that are on your computer or
trying to get on to your computer. Not having these in place allows for
malicious files and programs to get onto your system via the web, email, file
transfers or just being on a wireless network that is not properly secured. Be
careful of the free versions that you choose or that may pop up on your screen,
these may be malicious. Trust the big name companies such as Symantec, McAfee,
Trend Micro, Webroot, Bit Defender, Avast, Malwarebytes.

Step Three: Good Password Practice

Many users have issues with remembering their passwords, so
they either write them down, or re-use them on many different sites. The
problem here is that if you write them down, they are potentially available to
anyone that sees them. If you re-use them on many different sites, if that site
is breached and remember it will be, not if, when, then that account user name
and password is now available to the bad guys for other sites. That means you
may be in trouble. It is better to have a unique password, that is long in
nature and to be different for every site you use that requires one. I suggest
you consider a phrase instead of a mixture of upper case, lower case, symbol
and numbers. An example would be something that would be easier for you to
remember, like a favorite song or the first letter of a poem or some other
phrase that you can use. The longer the better and use the spaces, mixed with
capital letters. This makes it very difficult for someone to figure out your
password. If you have so many sites you use where this will still be difficult,
then consider a password manager program like LastPass or KeePass. These will
allow you to protect yourself online with different passwords and autofill them
for you. You will only need to remember one master password. Make sure that
one, is secure, long and not used anywhere else.

Step Four: WiFi Habits

Just because you get on a wireless network with no password
does not mean it is a good idea. Sometimes, malicious users setup wireless for
free in areas that try to trick you to get on it. Once you are on it, where you
go is being captured. All the keystrokes you type are now being seen. To avoid
this type of situation happening to you, don’t use wireless access (wifi) that
you are not familiar with. If you have to, such as at a coffee shop, airport or
hotel, avoid, logging into banking or credit card sites to be sure. It is best
to consider using a VPN client when you have to connect to an unknown of open
wifi network. Such software is available to be used on the system and is a good
way to protect where you go online and what you are doing. This VPN client
encrypts your information while on the wireless network. Check out NordVPN,
TunnelBear VPN, KeepSolid VPN.

Step Five: Careful With Your Information

Sometimes we do not realize when a website or link has been
taken over by a bad player. The site may not look different to you when you are
on there, but the questions and forms you may be asked to fill out should raise
flags for you if they are asking private questions for the wrong reasons. An
example is, a form may ask for your social security number when all you want is
to register for an account to purchase a product online. NEVER enter your
social security or other private identifying information about yourself if you
can avoid it. If you cannot, make sure that the site is secure. The way you can
tell is at the top of the page in your web browser just before the website
name, you will see a small icon of a lock and the website address begins with
HTTPS. The S is very important as it means you are on a secure site where the
data being transmitted from your computer and the site is secure. It is better
to be vigilant and suspicious when this type of information is being asked.
Once the bad guys have your sensitive information it could spell trouble for
you and may be very difficult to undo.

Step Six: Don’t Use Your Debit Card Online

For online purchases, its better to consider using a credit
card instead of your debit card. While they function the same, there are less
protections with debit cards as there are with credit cards. Check with your
bank for specifics, but typically, a credit card is more suited for online
purchases and should you become a victim, the credit card companies will be
more flexible with the fraudulent purchases and the assistance they offer.

Step Seven: Research the Online Site

Be careful of where you buy from online. Sometimes a too
good to be true offer may be just that. Before paying with credit card
information online for items that are well priced, research the site. Read the
reviews, search the company if you have never purchased from them. Be
suspicious and follow the above recommendations in case you get to a malicious
site.

Step Eight: Monitor your Credit

A great way to stay vigilant about your credit status is to
subscribe to a credit monitoring service. These are typically offered by one of
the three credit monitoring companies, Experian, TransUnion, Equifax or others
like LifeLock. If your information was stolen or part of a breach, the bad guys
may try to open new accounts on them. Being able to monitor your credit will
allow you to know right away when someone is trying to steal your information
and you can do something about it quickly. Many of these services also offer
fraud protection to help restore your good name.

Step Nine: Check the DarkWeb

The DarkWeb is the part of the internet that stolen
information is transacted. To see if your email address is being sold on the
dark web check out this website. https://haveibeenpwned.com . If
you type in your email address it will show you all the breaches that your
email was a part of. If you find your name, consider updating all your
passwords immediately to avoid falling victim to cybercrime. Use different
passwords for the different sites you are registered for.

Online shopping has never been easier, more
convenient and better priced. All that being true, it is easy to miss ways that
the bad guys want to take advantage of vulnerable users and their computers.
Don’t fall victim to them, update your systems, be cautious of where you give
your private information and vigilant with potentially malicious sites.

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